TURNERS FALLS — Lea Banks knew that if she ever wanted to set up shop in the area, it would be in the old location of the Second Street Baking Co. in Turners Falls.
Banks has been selling vintage finds on eBay, and later through her website and Etsy shop, for years, but this weekend she is opening her first retail location, The Domestic Darling, at the old bakery at 69 Second St. in Turners Falls.
The store will host its grand opening on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with live music and refreshments.
Banks, an area artist and writer, moved to Gill with her husband several years ago and said she was getting restless in the rural area. After a recommendation from friends, she held a pop-up shop at the Great Falls Harvest in the early part of 2016. Having a physical location and person-to-person business clicked for Banks.
“It just seemed to me that was what I was missing,” she said.
So Banks decided she wanted to open a physical location and started planning. Once the space became available, she started moving into the location in December.
In addition to the grand opening on Saturday, the store is holding a reception on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. for Trish Crapo, the artist whose work the shop hosting through the month of March.
The store is a reflection of Banks, who focuses on vintage and vintage-like women’s and men’s clothing and items from the 1950s through the 1970s. She says the items are stocked with things she would wear or purchase.
“It’s a reflection of your aesthetic, it’s whimsical and playful,” Crapo said of the style of Banks and her store.
For Banks, the store is a representation of herself and her style, but she wants the store to feel accessible to everyone.
“I want it to feel like walking into my house,” Banks said.
She said she feels there’s a hesitation for a lot of people when it comes to shopping vintage. She tries to eliminate that by stocking a variety of sizes and styles.
Banks and her assistant at the store, Tracey Brockett, have been rotating things in the store nearly every day so far. The two plan to keep rotating items in the store and experimenting with the layout.
They also plan to operate the Etsy shop out of the physical location for those who can’t make it to the store.
The Domestic Darling is located at 69 Second St., Turners Falls. It’s open Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday, noon to 6 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.
Reach Miranda Davis at
413-772-0261, ext. 280 or
mdavis@recorder.com.